Perhaps India wasn't a complete waste of time for Colin Montgomerie.

It was there, in his last outing at the Johnnie Walker Classic, that the Scot did only harm to his quest to make it back into the world’s top 50.

"Too many curries," Montgomerie joked when I asked him what had gone wrong when he missed the cut in abject fashion at the DLF Golf and Country Club, just outside Delhi.

"But seriously, a 12-and-half-hour time difference doesn't help.

"To come from Arizona, have a day off at home and then go off to India doesn't help. I think that jet lag takes about 48 hours to kick in and unfortunately that coincided with the first round and I got caught out."

Montgomerie is 44 years old. He has been a touring professional for 21 years – most of them following precisely the kind of globe-trotting schedule that he blames for his latest missed cut.

But at last the penny seems to have dropped. Even for the most robust traveller, jet-lag is a factor and anyone competing after long-haul flying will be at a disadvantage.

It has taken some time for this realisation to dawn. I would argue that jet-lag cost Montgomerie the 1997 US Open when he flew into Washington the day after winning the European Grand Prix at Slaley Hall in Northumberland.

He opened with an imperious 65 but stumbled amid dizzy spells to a second-round 76 as his travels caught up with him. A valiant effort over the weekend kept Monty in the hunt and he eventually lost by a single shot to Ernie Els.

It was undoubtedly that second round, not a dropped shot at the 71st hole, which cost him the title.

Who knows what would have happened had he travelled to the US the week before to ensure being in tip-top shape for the major?

I suspect, given that he was at the height of his powers, he wouldn't still have a nil against his name in the majors column.

This week Montgomerie was due to continue his quest to return to the world’s top 50 by playing in the European Tour's Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea.

It would then have been followed by a trip to Miami for the WGC CA Championship. Utterly senseless, but he would have done it had his world ranking position not been so parlous.

There are more ranking points available in the US and he has rethought his schedule. Monty has now headed to Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational where 30 of the world's top fifty, including Tiger Woods, are competing.

Montgomerie, who this week slipped to 61st in the rankings, says that returning to the top 50 is the last thing he thinks of at night and the first in the morning.

He needs to pick up sufficient points in his Florida fortnight to make it back into the elite bracket by March 31 otherwise he will miss the first major of the year, The Masters at Augusta.

Despite his impending wedding to Gaynor Knowles he would still prefer to spend the time most men would be enjoying their stag weekend trying to win a green jacket instead.

The desire is still there. He told me: "It's an on going process to try to improve and keep learning. I’m lucky to be able to keep saying that at the age of 44."

The good news is that he is going to be giving himself the best chance of demonstarting that desire over the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, it is perhaps worth speculating that Montgomerie's position as Scotland's leading light in golf may ultimately be taken over by a woman.

The Curtis Cup selectors should be congratulated on their decision to pick the prodigiously talented 15-year-old Carly Booth for this year's match with America’s leading amateur women.

Booth is currently being coached in Arizona by leading American teacher Mike Malaska.

"Her level of talent is remarkable," he said this week. "If Carly maintains her love for the game, then it's unlimited where she’s going in golf."

It’s probably worth making the point that she should make sure that where she does go follows a sensible routing – one that takes account of time zones, I’d suggest.